- Mar 13, 2016
- 6,056
- 6,405
- AFL Club
- Carlton
While big Pitto provides some great grunt work in the middle and would be a formidable ruck for any side in the AFL, for team balance the Blues must play one ruck and that man is the great TDK.
Such is TDKs dominance he picked up the full 10 coaches votes on the weekend. TDK has really turned into what the AFL world thought the Saints version of Rhys Stanley would turn into. It makes you wonder, after Geelong got duped by Stanley turning out to have the backbone of a jellyfish did they err too much on the side of caution when they all but had TDK signed up 18 months ago. TDK was hanging out with the Geelong guys every weekend and their management still blew it.
In the opening sentence I mention team balance. That team balance of playing one ruck (the mighty TDK) allows for more smalls to be played and thus a more pressure oriented game to be played in the forward half. The man who brings that pressure is no other than the great Lachie Fogarty. In that Fogarty trade Carlton also picked up Jack Carroll who has proved a valuable depth midfielder and in time will make the jump to mainstay, while Geelong ended up with a wish version of Nick Stevens and wasted a pick on a guy who was too old and injury prone (Shaun Higgins). Unsurprisingly neither player are still on the list or played a part in their 2022 GF. Meanwhile Fogarty is an absolute pressure machine playing that role up there with the likes of Paul Puopolo.
This all means that in the past two seasons when Carlton play TDK as the sole ruck with Fogarty also in the side we are 11-1. Geelong could have very easily had this combo. They already had Fogarty and they were in the box seat for TDK. They must be absolutely kicking themselves, it would be enough to make you cry every time you see Stanley and Shannon Neale or some other no-name named. Where did it all go wrong?
Such is TDKs dominance he picked up the full 10 coaches votes on the weekend. TDK has really turned into what the AFL world thought the Saints version of Rhys Stanley would turn into. It makes you wonder, after Geelong got duped by Stanley turning out to have the backbone of a jellyfish did they err too much on the side of caution when they all but had TDK signed up 18 months ago. TDK was hanging out with the Geelong guys every weekend and their management still blew it.
In the opening sentence I mention team balance. That team balance of playing one ruck (the mighty TDK) allows for more smalls to be played and thus a more pressure oriented game to be played in the forward half. The man who brings that pressure is no other than the great Lachie Fogarty. In that Fogarty trade Carlton also picked up Jack Carroll who has proved a valuable depth midfielder and in time will make the jump to mainstay, while Geelong ended up with a wish version of Nick Stevens and wasted a pick on a guy who was too old and injury prone (Shaun Higgins). Unsurprisingly neither player are still on the list or played a part in their 2022 GF. Meanwhile Fogarty is an absolute pressure machine playing that role up there with the likes of Paul Puopolo.
This all means that in the past two seasons when Carlton play TDK as the sole ruck with Fogarty also in the side we are 11-1. Geelong could have very easily had this combo. They already had Fogarty and they were in the box seat for TDK. They must be absolutely kicking themselves, it would be enough to make you cry every time you see Stanley and Shannon Neale or some other no-name named. Where did it all go wrong?
